PHOTOS / REVIEW: Wilco @ Central Park Summerstage, NYC 9/23/11

Wilco is playing a concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion right now and it’s being webcast live by NPR Music. The band played New York City on Thursday and Friday night and we had some folks at the show willing to brave the weather to bring us this review and amazing photoset. Read on for the show recap with words by Nicole Perskie and photos by Nick Irving…

With a new album on the horizon and in the midst of their fall tour, Wilco rocked a sold out show at Central Park’s Summerstage in NYC. With an early start time of 7pm, a serious rainstorm to contend with, and Friday night grid-lock, it was very clear that their audience and fan base are nothing short of die-hard. The stage was draped with what it would look like, say if a door bead and a tissue got together for a wild night. When the lights hit them they looked like a unicorn’s fantasy. They are certainly not a “fair-weather” band, as sound carried very well through the venue. And Tweedy joked with the crowd about “red cells” and poked fun at the manager for being a weather channel enthusiast.

I was really blown away by a very enthusiastic eight year old boy that knew every song by heart and shredded the air guitar through all of the show’s 25 songs. Wilco has a very healthy and intimate dialogue with the audience, and the set that night put many songs into context. When they played “Jesus, Etc” Tweedy explained to the fans that the song was to be released on 9/11/01…if you are not familiar with the song (however that is possible) give it a listen. Goosebumps….

Despite the downpours, everyone was in high spirits! From our end we owe a very big thank you to Liz O’Donnell and crew at HeadCount who hooked us up with shelter and some serious comedy. She humorously said “Welcome to Democracy” while registering people to vote. The safe haven of a tent definitely encouraged more people to get on with their civic duty while rocking out to a great band.